Massachusetts - Clothing

Cropped jacket in navy blue wool studded throughout with pearls and featuring a short shawl collar and curved front. Set-in narrow sleeves. Navy crepe lining. Approximate size 6.

This unusual mid-century lingerie-style black mini dress with a semi-transparent skirt that conjures a historic pinup-girl like Bettie Page is suitable as a mini dress as part of an evening ensemble. It was probably meant by its New York designer to be paired with slim cropped pants, which became popular in The States after worn by Hollywood-movie actresses Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe. The A-line short dress was most likely made by the former ready-to-wear fashion company following the revolutionary debut by French Christian Dior of his couture cinched-waist-voluminous-skirt "New Look" collection, whereafter German Sonja de Lennart introduced "Capris" in 1949, and American Hugh Hefner launched Playboy magazine in 1953. The complex hourglass-shaped garment features a double v-neck four-seamed ruched lined bodice in a crepe silky woven fabric. Its defined gathered bust extends from the chest seams at two angles to form short dolman sleeves only in the front, while there are arm seams in back. The gathered see-through black faux-lace organza flared skirt reveals a black velvet-textured scalloped floral pattern with a net underlayer. With beige lining, the self-trim band at the waist enables the folded scalloped-lace pattern to continue to stand out on the opaque black torso. The edges of the peplum and sleeves are further cut in a scallop shape to resemble more delicate eyelash-lace trim. The brand label of the obsolete line is the only interior tag that remains. Camouflaging the midsection, the flattering dress will best suit a U.S.-size 6. It can also be worn by larger sizes with a relatively slim waist and small or large bust as there is no restriction at the hips or wide armholes. At the waistline, a hook and looped cord fasten over the bypass zipper to better conceal it. Notably, the steel-tab-and-teeth zipper is an original U.S-made Murlen model, which was used in new clothes from the 1940s to 1960s and helps to date the mid-century dress.

This Alaia Paris black set of a very soft 100% leather high-waisted derriere-enhancing pencil mini skirt and rare logo scoop-neck T-shirt were made around the early 1990s by the foun...

Classic Missoni men's pullover featuring a complicated intarsia design in subtle colors of mostly beiges and grays highlighted by teal. Fabric is a soft bl...

Quintessential Sonia Rykiel ensemble consisting of a pullover sweater and slim skirt in ivory wool knit, c.1980s. On top, the sweater is distnguished by a button opening in front and...

A profusion of multicolored beads and sequins adorns the surface of this eye-catching evening jacket. The mostly pastel beads cover the entire black silk surface in a riotous patter...

In his classic long flared silhouette, Japanese Yohji Yamamoto skillfully designed with bias-cut draping both this navy ribbon-trimmed notched-lapel single-breasted lined jacket and ...

1960s silk evening coat in bright pink silk features an A-line profile with three-quarter sleeves and mandarin collar. Double-breasted, bound buttonh...

Wonderful red plaid coat featuring a wide belt, mandarin collar, and turn-back cuffs, accented with a fringed scarf. Fitted bodice, slight A-line skirt....

Black faux astrakhan coat that features a detachable cape. The fitted, princess-style body is single breasted and fastens with 8 black stone and silver...

Velvet is in! This black velvet 1950s princess-style coat is in great condition and features a small collar and seven black buttons down the front. The nipped waist and flare skirt s...

Appearing in several versions on the Stella McCartney Spring/Summer 2003 collection runway with silk oversized long bell sleeves (see our photos of the gold and white versions beginn...

Krizia black silk tunic printed with large white outline of a big cat, accented with green eyes and a red mouth. Straight, loose cut with dolman, short sleeves...

Cole Haan vintage red leather jacket with cropped styling and straight cut. The jacket features banded mock collar, hem, front placket and...

Vintage black faille princess-style coat with peter pan collar and self buttons from neck to hem. Set-in sleeves with deep armholes. Vertical seaming shapes the fitted waist and flar...

In the sexy sleek skin-tight style that Texan Tom Ford introduced as the former artistic director at Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche while the French esteemed eponymous designer was r...

c.1990s Gianni Versace coat in soft 15% cashmere/wool blend, featuring a true double-breasted style that buttons up to a small round collar. The body of the coat has seams towards th...

When Belgian former fashion designer Martin Margiela debuted gold-Lurex knits while French luxury-goods Hermes Womenswear Artistic Director, simultaneously in Fall 1999, he introduced at his eponymous Paris-based Maison Martin Margiela a collection featuring 1970s-inspired Lurex-accented sweaters, along with oversized loose clothes intended for either women or men. Including a distinct black-printed white-folded tag stitched into a seam by Italian experimental knitter Miss Deanna, who created many memorable knits under Margiela's artistic direction, this Margiela sparkly finely-knit viscose-and-Lurex-blend long-sleeve pullover is a minimalist unisex design with narrow ribbed trim at the crewneck, wrists and hem. Its "Made In Italy" size 44 with a 15.5-inch shoulderline is without darts and drapes like a one-size-fits-most stretch T-shirt. The lightweight sweater was knit from pale-gold, grey and blue yarns into an ombre pattern like a dip-dye technique associated with fabric. Yet the additional glittery orange-tone metallic thread (difficult to photograph due to reflections) interspersed throughout was clearly not dyed or printed. Conversely, Margiela's Fall 1999 Artisanale Line 0 collection that was produced instead by his Parisian team explored the textural effects of hand-painting fabrics, such as the unisex T-shirts that were striped or obscured with thick silver paint. Earlier in the 1990s, Margiela had reproduced some vintage...

Over 20 years ago, the late Roberto Cavalli who recently died in 2024 designed this silk-and-cotton top-and-jeans set showcasing his signature mix of animal prints with luxurious emb...

Quintessential Geoffrey Beene in cut and detail, this stunning and sophisticated gown is composed of olive green satin with black wool crepe panels strategically integrated into the ...

Like a turtleneck ensemble acquired by TheMet Costume Institute, Ann Demeulemeester designed this bold-silhouette contrasting-texture wool set of chocolate ribbed high-neck cropped tight knit sweater and black bias-cut crepe mini skirt for her Fall/Winter 1996-1997 collection, when the latter low-waisted garment without a waistband was worn on the Paris runway over trousers. The soft thick darted pullover jumper characteristically has the designer's hallmark of oversized exaggerated cuffs, which can be left unfolded for a more feminine look. The Belgian designer meticulously tailored the brushed-wool skirt so that its three seams are in the back, where there are also darts to flatter the bias drape, two belt loops, and invisible zip closure at the center. Aside from featuring knitted turtlenecks in almost every ensemble that debuted on the runway that season, this collection was significant because Demeulemeester--who was known for her black-and-white palette of monochromatic pieces until she retired from her independent label in 2013--added colors and textures including this sweater. However, red was the only color featured on the runway. For an alternative pairing idea, we included a photo of a similar brown ribbed darted high-neck sweater, which was worn in Demeulemeester's runway show for Fall/Winter 2000, but with a shiny billowy slit maxi skirt...

Vivienne Westwood's son Joe Corre opened the first lingerie boutique for his sexy London-based brand Agent Provocateur in Soho in the mid-1990s, when the sole owner of this black lac...

Donna Karan vintage ensemble, c.1990s, incorporating her signature designs - the bodysuit and the simple black shape. Here the bodysuit is a romantic white blouse featuring a large p...

In 1994, Martin Margiela did something unprecedented with his luxury fashion brand Maison Martin Margiela, which was to debut a collection with no new designs but rather a new-for-it...

The Italian duo Dolce & Gabbana for their Fall/Winter 1995 runway show featured black lace ensembles that included this trio of merino-wool knit turtleneck with asymmetrical vertical...

Around 1970 when Bill Blass introduced his eponymous brand after becoming a leading couture fashion designer among New York City society, he created this sleek tuxedo-like ecru-satin...

For the first eponymous-brand debut in Paris by Belgium-born Veronique Branquinho for her Spring/Summer 1998 collection with couture details, the former Flemish-trained fashion desig...

About a decade ago Brunello Cucinelli debuted these impeccably-tailored 100%-virgin-wool grey shorts whose back is completely concealed by tuxedo tails fashioned from a curvilinear-c...

Unlike anything else from the 1990s, Comme des Garcons founder Rei Kawakubo (b. 1942) designed in 1999 for her Spring/Summer 2000 collection this pink-overdyed pullover soft stretch-...

In the 1930s when French fashion couturier Jeanne Lanvin (1867-1946) was creating decorative bias-cut silk tulle overlays for her feminine full-skirted sleeveless "robes de style", she designed this black semi-transparent silk-tulle formal jacket featuring diagonally-striped topstitched silk-crepe appliques throughout the bias-cut panels. This sheer geometric-patterned cape-like jacket has a skirt that drapes from an open waistline and a top-fastening bodice with gathered rounded 3/4-length sleeves that each have two arm seams and shirred embroidered cuffs. It could have been the first "swing coat" design that was given that name around 1935, when Lanvin was the "uncontested leader in the haute-couture field"--according to the French Palais Galliera that has collected and exhibited similar garments at its fashion museum in Paris. In New York, TheMet collected a House of Lanvin black evening coat with a similar shape that also features dramatic linear appliques, but in a white starburst that it dates to Spring/Summer 1927. The unprecedented modern look of this Art-Deco women's jacket, which was inspired by 18th-Century French and Spanish topcoats for aristocratic court dresses, may have been good cause for Maison Lanvin to custom-make some close reproductions of a one-of-a-kind couture original for additional clients in Paris, which is implied by the remaining French brand-label noting "Adaptation Jean Lanvin...

Genny silk top, c.1980s, in a vivid print featuring large flowers in varying shades of pink dominating the front and back. This contrasts nicely with the side panels, each composed o...

Oscar de la Renta black patent coat, the front ornamented with pleated and swirled appliqués, the back undecorated. The coat features a simple straig...

Belgium former fashion designer Martin Margiela for his eponymous Paris-based Maison Martin Margiela Spring/Summer 2007 collection in a minimalist style debuted this cherry-red crepe...

Japanese Rei Kawakubo designed this wool-blend half-dress topcoat with embossed pinstripes for her Comme des Garcons Fall/Winter 2000 collection, which she titled "Hard And Forceful"...

Valerie Porr produced an eponymous line of quintessentially 1970s clothing, many of the styles based on the wrap silhouette, from her Soho loft that was retailed through her neighbor...

Vintage c.1980s Hanae Mori little black dress in black crepe, body skiimming style, with square neckline and knee-length straight skirt with back slit. The special interest comes fro...

Norma Kamali vintage evening jacket in black crepe embellished with gold tone sequins throughout in an intricate vertical pattern. The jacket features short sleeves with shoulder pad...

C. 1960s Ted Lapidus dress fashioned of black devoré velvet on a chiffon ground, the floral-design velvet enhanced with black sparkles that catch the light. Stylewise, the dress feat...

Yves Saint Laurent rive gauche charcoal gray velvet jacket, c. late 1970s-early 1980s, trimmed on all edges in black braid. The collarless jacket is cropped and features narrow sleev...

1980s oversized cut in this hip-length sheared fur jacket, possibly opossum or raccoon. The fur is lush and cut in flat, broad pieces throughout the...

Evoking late-1980s couture with complex construction showcasing a wide variety of sewing techniques and French lace, this like-new "Christian Lacroix Paris Made In France" fuchsia-la...

Diane Freis cotton dress in a tropical floral print featuring a shirt collar and double tier full skirt, both banded in black cotton. An elasticized waist makes it easy to pull the d...

As French couture made by Martin Grant at his Paris atelier in the Marais in the mid-1990s, this pale grey plaid lightweight-wool slit-skirt suit has many hand-tailored elements that...

A unique vintage find, this ensemble consists of a long black maxi skirt and sleeveless top, its floral design repeated in cut-out appliqués down the left side of the skirt. the A-li...

Thierry Mugler 1980s suit in brown wool gabardine features a belted jacket with silver metal stars dangling from the patch pockets and interesting inverted V detail near armhole. Dro...

While he maintained his design-leadership role at Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld (1933-2019) created limited-edition silk chiffon Fendi-logo prints to be glimpsed through multiple thigh-high...

For his first collection for Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche for Spring/Summer 2001, American Tom Ford debuted on the Paris runway this tuxedo-style black virgin-wool evening skirt-su...

Mahogany mink waist-length jacket with shawl collar and sleeves that can be turned back with cuffs or let down for full length. Velvet cords terminating in mink spheres tie under the...

Stunning Pauline Trigère 1970s ensemble in black wool crepe, the simple dress underneath an unusual reverse cape/shawl terminating in deep black fox trim at t...

This couture lace transparent red-and-black floral-pattern silk sleeveless evening midi dress, with an eyelash-lace boatneck and hem, is constructed with torso tucks above and below ...

Franck Olivier hunter green corduroy jacket features an off-center zipper closure, mandarin collar, and coordinating knit hip and wrist bands. A patch p...

Vakko black suede jacket embellished with gold braid interspersed with multicolor gems is a showstopper. The long, shaped jacket hits below the hips and features an open neckline tr...

Lovely style and fabric in this summer dress of lavender voile embroidered allover with a repeat linear pattern in white and edged with a narrow white scallop. The shirt-style dress ...

The perfect dress to have in your wardrobe, this chic LBD from Frank Tignino will take you many places. In black wool crepe, the dress has an inverted V ...

1980s white cotton cropped jacket by Oscar de la Renta features black topstitching at the edges and diagonally placed decorative black buttons fr...

1960s medium-weight silk shift dress in a beautiful shade of pink. The construction features a yoke at top that extends over the shoulders to form cap sleeves. The simple straight sh...

This timeless quintessential corseted, shirred, ruched and topstitched "little black dress" produced by Victor Costa in the 1980s was made for the high standards of New York's trendsetting Bergdorf Goodman. It was the first U.S. luxury department store to order exclusive special-occasion dresses from this Texas designer and subsequently to give him a namesake in-store boutique. He soon became associated with the feminine glamorous gowns worn by "PYT" (Costa-speak for pretty young things) on the Dallas-based television-series "Dynasty", which idealized status-conscious Texan women mostly via fashion. With a strapless curvaceous sweetheart neckline, narrow sinuous folds of crepe silk-blend jersey cross diagonally below the decollete, while contrasting vertical ruching defines the seven bones of the invisible corset structure that is fully lined on the interior. Under the bust in front below the empire-like peaked high waist, the fitted tucked underlay of the cocktail dress wraps around the back to end as an overlay in front, where the opening on the left side extends to the bodice like a discreet slit. The freely hanging bias-cut overlay in front is gathered underneath each breast for a forgiving central drape that adds additional curves to make the wearer's torso underneath appear in sleek condition despite a potentially less than ideal figure. The dress closes with a concealed zipper in the center of the back, with exterior hook-and-eye fastening to narrow the waist. There is a second concealed hook-and-eye fastener at the top of the zipper. Although the only remaining tag is the Costa/Bergdorf label, it is a contemporary U.S.-size 8, which will also suit a large-busted size 6 or a svelte size 10. Now 88 years old, Victor Costa (b.1935) became widely known by the 1980s in The States for perfecting affordable luxurious gowns that could be mistaken for one-of-a-kind flamboyant designs by foreign couturiers Christian Lacroix, Arnold Scaasi, Oscar de la Renta or Valentino Garavani. Early on, the avid female sketcher...

100% camelhair double-breasted coat featuring an oversized fit, notched collar, raglan sleeves with turned back cuffs, and diagonal pockets. Topstitchi...

c.1970 Victor Costa for Romantica long dress combining a black sequin bodice juxtaposed with a large-scale taffeta plaid for the full ankle-length skirt and short puffed sleeves, a n...

Lavishly sequined vintage cardigan in lavender accented with beaded florets. Hook-and-eye closures in front. Silk lined. An excellent example of the decorated sweaters popular during...